Translating mechanism for type printing telegraphs and like apparatus



Sept. 21, 1937. R. D. SALMON TRANSLATING MECHANISM FOR TYPE PRINTING TELEGRAPHS AND LIKE APPARATUS Filed July 11, 1935 Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNHT STA "res QFFICE TRANSLATING NECHANISM FOR TYPE PRINTING TELEGRAPHS AND LIKE AP- PARATUS Reginald Dennis Salmon, Croydon, England, assignor to Creed and Company Limited, Croydon, England 8 Claims.

This invention relates to translating mechanism for printing, recording, registering and like apparatus and more particularly to mechanism for selecting individual characters from a bank of characters as a result of relative movement of a number of members, moved in combinations according to the elements representing a character.

Apparatus of this kind, in which the motion imparted to the mechanism for selecting the character is the aggregate of the motion imparted thereto by the separate members, is well known. It has been proposed to use rotatable shafts each adapted to be given a half revolution and impart a characteristic degree of rotation to a type wheel through a' series of linked levers.

It is an object of the invention to provide means whereby themotion of each member shall be imparted tothe character selecting mechanism in a positive and effective manner without undue final magnification, and with the minimum of backlash.

According to one feature of the invention I provide translating mechanism of the kind re ferred to in which each of a series of members is adapted to be given the same amount of move- -ment, such movement being transmitted to character selecting mechanism by a series of levers, I

in which each lever is slidably mounted at two points-and is actuated from one of said members at another point. v

According to another feature of the invention I provide translating mechanism of the kind referred to in which each of a series of members is adapted to be given the same amount of movement and transmits a different amount of movement to a character selecting mechanism by means of a series of pivoted levers, and in which one such lever transmits its movement directly to the character selecting mechanism, another lever transmits its movement through the first mentioned lever and so on, the last lever transmitting its movement through all the other levers, there being a constant step down ratio between the movement given to one lever and that transmitted thereby tothe next lever.

According to yet another feature of the invention I provide translating mechanism of the kind referred to comprising a compound train of levers, one endmost lever of which is adapted to act on the character selecting mechanism, and is linked by means of a movable pivot to the next lever, the latter being similarly linked to the next lever and so on, the final lever having a relatively fixed pivot point.

The invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is an elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of one embodiment of a translating mechanism according to the invention.

A series of levers l W is provided, each having a slot 2 therein, in which works a crank pin 3 attached to a disc 4. In the case of type printing telegraph apparatus working with a five unit code there are five levers, and five discs 4. Each disc tends to be driven from a constantly rotating shaft, for example, through a friction clutch, but is held by a forked detent lever 5, adapted to be moved by a bar 6. The different bars 6 may be moved in various combinations according to the elements of the character to be translated in any well known manner, e. g., by means of the keys of a keyboard, or in the same manner as the slotted bars are moved, to align a series of slots therein, in a type printing telegraph receiver. When one of the bars 6 is moved from the position shown the corre-' sponding disc 4 is allowed'to rotate through half a revolution only, being then again held by the detent lever 5.

At one end, the lever l pivots on a pin to which is fixed a rack 9 which slides in a fixed guide 8. The rack 8 meshes with a gear wheel It, on the same shaft as which is carried a type wheel ll At its other end the lever I is pivoted on a pin l2 which carries a grooved wheel I3 moving in a slide 1.

The crank pin 3 which moves in the slot 2 in lever l is situated at two thirds the distance of the end of the lever from pivot pin l2. When the corresponding disc is allowed to rotate through half a revolution the resultant vertical movement of crank pin 3 is transmitted (in a step up ratio) to the rack 9, as the lever I pivots on the pin l2. The gearing is so arranged that a rotation through the space of sixteen characters is transmitted to the type wheel.

The lever l is pivoted at one end on the pivot pin l2 and at the other end on a pivot pin l4,

' which, in like manner to pivot pin I2, carries a grooved wheel sliding in a fixed guide. The pin it is in the same plane as the pin l5 carrying the sliding rack 9. The crank pin 3 which acts on lever l" is situated at a distance from pivot pin it two thirds of the distance of pivot pin 92. With the mechanism in initial position, the crank pin 3 acting on lever l is situated in its uppermost position, but crank pin 3 acting on lever I" is situated in its lowermost position.

When the disc 4 to which this last mentioned crank pin is attached is allowed to rotate through half a revolution from the position shown, lever l pivots on pin i l and pivot pin I2 is raised, raising one end of lever I. Lever l pivots on the crank pin 3 and the pin i5 is depressed by half the distance through which pin 12 was raised.

Lever 5" is pivoted at one end on pin l4, and the crank pin acting thereon is normally in its uppermost position. The discs 4 must thus be arranged in two sets in order that the movement imparted by each disc to its corresponding lever may be transmitted to the next lever in a step down ratio. The final lever l of the set is pivoted at one end on a fixed pin it, but at its other end is pivoted to the same pin on which one end of the preceding lever is pivoted.

Each pivot pin, except It is slidably mounted in the same manner as described for pin l2. By thismeans the various ratios in which movement is transferred to the sliding rack 9 may be accurately determined much more easily than if the pivots were allowed to move freely.

Lever I thus moves the typewheel through the space of 16 characters, lever l" through the space of 8 characters, lever I through 4 character's, lever I through 2 characters, whilst lever I moves the typewheel through the space of one character only.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the use of five levers, there being as many levers as there are elements for determining the position of the character selecting mechanism.

All the discs 4 are driven from a common driving motor, by means of two shafts to which the respective discs may be clutched. Instead of the discs tending to be constantly driven through friction clutches, a positive form of clutch may be used to cause each disc to be driven as required through a half revolution, as for example, the pawl and ratchet clutch.

What is claimed is:

1. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a series of members, means for giving each member a constant amplitude of movement in one or the other direction in accordance with the nature of an element of the character to be translated, means for actuating said members in a combination dependent upon a character to be selected, a series of levers one for each member, means whereby each lever is actuated by one of said members, character selecting mechanism, an actuating connection between one of said levers and said character selecting mechanism, a fixed pivot point for another of said levers and an actuating connection between said last mentioned lever and another of said levers, and an actuating connection between each of the remainder of said levers and other two of said levers.

2. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a series of discs, means for giving each disc a half revolution or for holding said disc stationary in accordance with the nature of an element of the character to be translated, a crank pin on each disc, 2, series of slotted levers one for each disc, the crank pin on each disc working in the slot of its corresponding lever, slidable pivot points for each of said levers, linkages between said levers constituting them a compound train between a fixed pivot point on one endmost lever and a movable point on the opposite endmost lever, a character selecting mechanism,

and an operable connection between said last mentioned lever and the said character selecting mechanism.

3. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a lever for each element of a character to be translated, linkages between said levers constituting them a compound train between a fixed pivot point on one endmost lever and a movable point on the opposite endmost lever, a character selecting mechanism, an operable connection between said last mentioned lever and the said character selecting mechanism, means operably connected to the last mentioned lever intermediate its connections to the next lever in the train and the character selecting mechanism for selectively moving the lever in accordance with the nature of an element of the character to be translated, means operably connected to the other endmost lever intermediate the said fixed pivot point and its linkage with the next lever for selectively moving the lever in accordance with the nature of another element of the character to be translated, and means operably connected to intermediate levers intermediate their respective linkages with other levers for selectively moving the respective levers in accordance with the respective nature of the remaining elements of the character to be translated. l i

4. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a lever for each element of a character to be translated, linkages between said levers constituting them a compound train between a fixed pivot point on one endmost lever and a movable point on the opposite endmost lever, a character selecting mechanism. an operable connection between said last mentioned movable point and said character selecting mechanism, means adapted to move each lever selectively in accordance with the nature of an element of a character to be translated operably connected to the said lever at such point that the consequent movement of a linkage point between levers is transmitted to the next linkage point between levers in a constant step down ratio.

5. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a series of members, means for giving each member a definite displacement in accordance with an element of a character to be translated, a series of levers, means whereby each lever is actuated by one of said members, means slidably mounting each lever at two points and means for transferring the movement of all of said levers to a character selecting mechanism to select a character thereby.

6. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a series of members, means for giving each member the same amount of displacement in accordance with an element of a character to be translated, a series of pivoted levers, means whereby each lever is actuated by one of said members, said leversbeing arranged as a train in which means is provided whereby each lever transmits its movement to another lever and the final lever transmits its movement to a character selecting mechanism, and a fixed pivot point for the lever at the opposite end of the train.

7. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a series of members, means for giving each member a movement in accordance with an element of a character to be translated, a

,series of pivoted levers, means whereby each lever is actuated by one of said members, means whereby each of said levers but one transmits its movement in the same step down ratio to another of said levers, and means whereby the exceptional lever transmits its movement to a character selecting mechanism.

8. Translating mechanism comprising in combination a series of shafts, means for giving each shaft a half revolution in accordance with an element of a character to be translated, a corresponding series of pivoted levers each linked to one of said shafts and means whereby each of said levers but one transmits its movement in the same step down ratio to another of said levers, and means whereby the exceptional lever transmits its movement to a character selecting mechanismQ REGINALD DENNIS SALMON. 

